Albertus Koett

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Tree House Youth Theatre

Youth theatre director hitting the trails for marathon fundraiser

May 26, 2021 | 4:33 PM

The artistic director of Red Deer’s Tree House Youth Theatre (THYT) is taking to the city’s streets and trails in support of his group.

On May 29, Albertus Koett will run a marathon, his first, through Red Deer to raise funds and awareness for the organization he cares so much about.

“We teach the industry standard in theatre performance, design, and stage management, with a goal to prepare our participants for entrance into post-secondary theatre and professional theatre. This is important to me. While we certainly have fun in rehearsals and in performance, we also learn the right way to create theatre,” Koett says.

“Also extremely important to me is that we are a welcoming, inclusive, and safe place for all of our participants. For many of our participants, their time at THYT is where they can truly feel like themselves, and where they can connect to like-minded, positive people.”

The group was forced to cancel its one-act festival last June, and registration was kept low this season due to COVID-19. The pandemic also made it necessary for Tree House to film its December production of Romeo and Juliet on Zoom.

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“While we are able to receive a small amount of revenue from streaming, it is only a fraction of what we would have been able to collect if we had been able to welcome a live audience for all three productions,” the 38-year-old says. “We needed to figure out alternative ways to fill the hole in our revenue, so we considered what we could do for fundraising. I fell in love with running last May, and decided that a fairly safe way to raise money would be if I ran a marathon. Over the past year, I have run just over 100 hours and 1,100 kms to train for my first ever marathon.”

Tree House Youth Theatre was founded in 1988 by Richard O’Brien at Red Deer College and led to careers in theatre for many. It runs September to June for youth ages 9-17, with summer camps in July and August for kids ages 5-8.

There is a performance program, a technical program, and a playwriting program, all of which lead to a full-length play each December and a one-act festival in June directed, performed, stage managed and designed by Tree House participants.

“Theatre has always been the place where I knew I belonged. There are few places that are as welcoming, and inclusive as theatre. For every production I have directed, acted in, or written, the entire team has felt like a small family,” says Koett, who was born and raised in Red Deer.

“For many, it is their family. I met my wife through theatre, and have established long lasting and impactful friendships through theatre. I really believe that THYT is that place for our participants, and I want that to continue. Throughout this pandemic, I have witnessed incredible positivity, hard work, and dedication from our participants.”

A graduate of RDC’s Theatre and Motion Picture Arts program, Koett is hoping businesses will sponsor five kilometre sections of his run for $200, with a goal of raising at least $3,000.

For more details on the fundraiser, visit here.